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What have you found to be the best way to raise money for a charity ride?

I'm riding the MS 150 Escape to the Lake in June and am required to raise $250. A small amount, but so far I've only been able to raise $75. I've posted the donation request a few times on Facebook (that's where I got my $75,) and am thinking about sending a mass email at work.

Just looking for suggestions that I may be able to use to get a boost for the cause!

I normally get the check book out and write a check for tha minimum amount of the ride. I get a tax write-off for the effort. If it costs too much then I don't go. I don't like to bother friends and family with this stuff.

I raised $280 since I signed up for the ACA ride yesterday...as is obvious in my sigAll of my money has been raised on fbook, I update my donation status and publicly thank people on fbook. I also offer to attach pics of peoples loved ones who have battled cancer to my bike, laminate them and lace them in the spokes on the fenders etc. I am also making a vid with the pics I am sent. I have had more than one people cross post my cause because of the tribute to their friend/family. My next course will be individual emailing/facebook messages. I am going to ask my union and some small businesses that I frequent. I have already asked my lbs and got a no...but if you don't ask you will never know . I don't want to hassle people and make that very clear in my communications so in my opinion no harm in asking. My wife was my first donor for $50 So by the way bf'ers feel free to click my link and donate shamless self promotion

I don't sign up for rides where I'm not willing to write a check for the minimum amount I need to raise. A strategy that has worked well for me in the past is e-mailing friends and co-workers. I usually explain the charity, explain why I am participating, then tell people I'll match any contribution they make. Depending on the event, the amount of money I need to raise, and the amount I'm willing to contribute I offer to put in 50-cents or a dollar for every dollar they contribute. If I think I'll get lots of contributions, I'll also state the maximum total amount that I'll contribute.

This strategy has worked pretty well for me. People seem to like the fact that their contribution goes a bit further due to the matching funds that I contribute...

Defiantly clear that with your HR department before firing off mass emails at work. Also, check with your HR department to see if they will do a matching contribution. Ask your supervisor about selling tickets to wear jeans at work one day, etc.

Maybe I'll ask my HR department I'd it'll be ok if I send out an email at work.

Post to the "Charities" forum on Bike Forums.

Post to Facebook.

Email friends, relatives, and friends of friends.

Discreetly contact co-workers.

Post a link and description of the ride and fundraising to your signature line on Bike Forums and any other web forums you post to.

And remember this is a bad economy for many people. Also, many cyclists do these sorts of rides, so they are not only doing their own fundraising but having all their other friends solicit them as well.

Does the company you work for have matching gifts? That's how I am meeting the minimum for the Livestrong Philly ride in August. Wrote a check for half and then my company will match the donation. I hate soliciting for fund raising as well but sometimes you just got to bite the bullet and do it. I have used FB and mass e-mails to friends and family. I rec'd the most donations through the mass e-mail. Instead of relying on the website for the event and their form e-mail I tend to make it more personal.

A little caution with the matching gift route. I know at least one ride that normally does not allow you to use matching gift to meet the minimum because often the company match is not paid until the end of the year, well after the event. If you can get a match in time for the event, you may be o.k.

I have raised in the $5K-$7K+ range for the MS Society for the last 6 years. As my friend at the local MS office said, "shake the trees." I have been helped by my company's matching gift program. I also fundraise in conjunction with a co-worker who has MS. She is able to tap into resources like friends and relatives of hers outside the workplace. Shortly before ride day last year, another co-worker was diagnosed with MS. I am sure he will be joining the cause this year.

Another source are businesses you frequent. For example, my local watering hole usually comes through with $25/year. And a couple of the bartenders there donate as well. Our workforce has been declining due to attrition. To compensate for those losses, I am intending to hit up more businesses this year. My favoreite fish monger comes to mind. I'd say I drop on average $35/week there. Most definitely hit up people whose causes you have supported in the past.

While email can work, I prefer to use paper with people who are easy to reach, like co-workers. It's easy for an email to get burried under mounds of work email. A piece of paper can be taped to a bulletin board or put somewhere conspicuous on a desk so as to serve as a reminder. Here is the text of last year's letter to co-workers with the names removed. It was written jointly with my co-worker who has MS.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system. It can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including abnormal fatigue, vision problems, loss of balance and muscle coordination, slurred speech, tremors and stiffness. In some cases, it is even fatal. Every hour of every day, another American is diagnosed with MS. We need to take action now to help the growing number of people affected by the disease. That is why we are teaming up again this year to raise money to help find a cure for MS through the MS 150 City-to-Shore, a two-day cycling event which offers participants the opportunity to pedal up to 175 miles from Cherry Hill to Ocean City, NJ and back. This year’s event will take place on September 25th-26th.

This will mark ________'s nineteenth consecutive City-to-Shore and the event’s 30th anniversary. Thanks to your generous support and _________’s Matching Gift Program, last year we were able to raise over $6,300. That made _____ the 26th highest fundraiser out of nearly 7,000 participants. This year we have our sights set on $7,000. Making a donation is easy:

Simply make your check payable to the “National MS Society”, enclose it in the envelope provided and return it to either of us. We will take care of submitting the Matching Gift Program paperwork.

You may also donate on line using a major credit card by visiting: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/______(Note that on line donations do not qualify for matching under Conrail’s Matching Gift Program.)

The National MS Society is the leading provider of programs for people with MS and their families. The Society invests more money into MS research than any national voluntary health organization in the world. This is why we are asking for your support. Each one of us can create a world free of MS.

You can also see if you can do fundraising on your own. Things like checking with a local gas station / fast food place that hosts car wash fundraisers. See if they'll let you do one, get your friends and family to help, and donate all the proceeds to the ride.

Check with your place of worship. Call them during the week, and ask if you can either put something in the weekly bulletin. Start by asking for more people to join a 'church' team; you might get a couple of teammates. If you actually get a few people to sign up, then the church is much more likely to be willing to support you through announcements, maybe a 2-minute presentation on Sunday morning, etc...

I'm doing the Rev 3 Cedar Point triathlon in September as a fundraiser for the rides official charity The Ulman Cancer Fund for young adults. It's got a high minimum ($1500), but Im approaching it as I need 142 $10 donations, so I figured why not do a raffle. I got several of my triathlon sponsors to donate stuff including a wetsuit, a waterproof ipod armband and headphones, and a tshirt. Im adding a $199 apple gift card as a grand prize. Hopefully this will let me get 2/3rd of the way there.

I raised around $2,500 last year for Tour de Cure, my highest ever. I know people who have raised much more than that and I bow to them, but I'll share what worked best for me.

1. One and only one spam email to everyone in your personal email contact list. Everyone. Tell them it's the only email you will send. Tell them what is motivating you. Tell them how far you will ride.

2. One and only one email to people you know at work. Don't spam the company , just people you personally know. Again tell them why, how far, how you will train, etc.

3. Face to face, tell people you know what you are doing. Ask if they would consider donating just a little bit. Have literature in-hand with your online donation page if they have one.

4. Find some personal motivation to raise way more than the minimum. Personally, I got into a competition with my boss to raise the most money. We stared under at around $500 and both ended up over $2,000. I eventually contacted my next level boss, his boss, the President of the company, and other executives. I actually ended up getting a commendation for getting the executives involved.

It took a little effort to get over the discomfort of begging for money. But once I got over that and started seeing the real generosity of people, it became easy.

I'm an outside salesman, so I actually have a lot of folks I could ask for a donation. However, this opens the door up for tickets for baseball teams, school fundraisers, candy, cookies, fire department raffles... I could go broke with the 100 or so people I deal with on a professional basis.

I think I may try a raffle at both of the offices I work with on a weekly basis. Maybe I'll try to get a package together that might spark interest... like a spring gardening basket, a gift certificate for dinner and a movie? I could sell $5 tickets for the raffle. It would only take 35 people for me to raise the last $175. I could ask at a few of the local places if they would be willing to donate something, or give me a discount, so I can build the raffles. I could even give them a MS receipt for their charity.

Just keep trying. I am almost at my minimum of $500 of which I have put in $70 not including a couple hundred for registration...but I could care less about the small bit of money out of pocket because, number one I am helping to make this world a better place and number two I get to help by riding my bike At least I still have six months to get to my goal of $2400

I'm an outside salesman, so I actually have a lot of folks I could ask for a donation. However, this opens the door up for tickets for baseball teams, school fundraisers, candy, cookies, fire department raffles... I could go broke with the 100 or so people I deal with on a professional basis.

I think I may try a raffle at both of the offices I work with on a weekly basis. Maybe I'll try to get a package together that might spark interest... like a spring gardening basket, a gift certificate for dinner and a movie? I could sell $5 tickets for the raffle. It would only take 35 people for me to raise the last $175. I could ask at a few of the local places if they would be willing to donate something, or give me a discount, so I can build the raffles. I could even give them a MS receipt for their charity.

Reminds me of another avenue. If you are the creative sort, you can make something and raffle it off. For last year's City-to-Shore (the second biggest MS ride in the country), a woman made a quilt commemorating the event's 30th Anniversay and raffled it off. It was really nice.

If I remember correctly, individual tickets were $1 or you could buy a stip of tickets as long as your arm for $5. I thought that was a great marketing strategy. It certainly worked on me.

I have participated in the Tour de Cure for a few years now. Last year I raised just over 500.00. I have tried facebook but so far no response. I usually send 3 emails a year to family, friends and vendors. One when I sign up, another about this time of year and the last a week or so before the event. I printed business cards with my information and what I am doing and hand them out when I can. I only ride one charity ride that requires donations per year. The rest are t-shirt rides with minimal entry fees. Good luck!

I'm an outside salesman, so I actually have a lot of folks I could ask for a donation. However, this opens the door up for tickets for baseball teams, school fundraisers, candy, cookies, fire department raffles... I couhgtld go broke with the 100 or so people I deal with on a professional basis.

I think I may try a raffle at both of the offices I work with on a weekly basis. Maybe I'll try to get a package together that might spark interest... like a spring gardening basket, a gift certificate for dinner and a movie? I could sell $5 tickets for the raffle. It would only take 35 people for me to raise the last $175. I could ask at a few of the local places if they would be willing to donate something, or give me a discount, so I can build the raffles. I could even give them a MS receipt for their charity.

Some of my biggest donations have been business partners - suppliers & customers. You might try those... donations can be just the write-off they need.

I have not done it myself, however, I have witnessed it done where individuals raising money for charity events have gotten a pair of primo MLB, NHL, NBA or NFL tickets etc. and raffled off a fixed number of chances. Like is often seen in bars or clubs for sport pools, where individuals write their names et al on a pre-numbered square.

I just posted my raffle, XTERRA donated a wetsuit, H20 Audio donated earphones and a waterproof case for smart phones, a Stomach of Anger Tshirt, a Rudy project helmet I bought to give away, and it's topped off with a $199 Apple Gift card that I added as the big prize.

i just posted my raffle, xterra donated a wetsuit, h20 audio donated earphones and a waterproof case for smart phones, a stomach of anger tshirt, a rudy project helmet i bought to give away, and it's topped off with a $199 apple gift card that i added as the big prize.